Guru Investment Theses on American Tower Corp

Chuck Akre Comments on American Tower Corporation - Jul 23, 2014

American Tower (AMT), organized as real estate investment trust (REIT), is the largest independent U.S.-based owner of cellphone towers. The company’s rental and management operations include leasing antenna space on multi-tenant communications sites to wireless service providers, radio and television broadcast companies, and wireless data providers. Revenue and earnings are fueled by more towers, more equipment and tenants per tower, long-term hell-or-high water leases with annual pricing escalators and very high incremental margins.

Akre Focus Fund Investment:

The Fund made its first small investment in American Tower upon its inception in 2009, having had prior investments in the company for many years. Early this year we were able to take advantage of some price dislocation and add to the position. As of June 2014, AMT represents 8.9% of the portfolio.

Investment thesis:

We believe that cell towers are the “bottleneck” business within wireless data and communications, spanning countries, wireless carriers, handset manufacturers, and connected devices. The physics of radio frequency, signal propagation, and spectrum reuse and handoff promise an ongoing reliance on macro towers for network deployment, and the increasing demands being placed on these networks from 4G and skyrocketing wireless broadband data consumption herald the need for more towers, more tenants/equipment per tower, and more high incremental margin revenue growth for American Tower, which already boasts an Adjusted Funds from Operations, (AFFO)* margin over 40%. Moreover, wireless markets have been following similar growth trajectories as the U.S., and American Tower closed 2013 with nearly two-thirds of its towers outside the U.S. in countries such as India, Brazil, Mexico, Germany and South Africa. We believe this global scope affords a compelling runway for reinvestment.

The Investment Examples included herein have been selected based on objective, non-performance based selection criteria, solely to provide general examples of the research and investment processes of the Fund. The Investment Examples should not be construed as an indicator of the future performance. The information presented above should not be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security. There can be no assurance that any securities discussed herein will be a part of the Fund’s portfolio or, if sold, will not be repurchased.

* Adjusted Funds from Operations, (AFFO) is A measure of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)'s financial performance. This metric takes into account a REIT's Funds From Operations (FFO) and adjusts for recurring spending the company does to maintain the quality of its underlying real estate assets.

Business Description

American Tower Corp was incorporated in the State of Delaware on July 17th, 1995. The Company is an owner, operator and developer of wireless and broadcast communications real estate. The Company's primary business is leasing antenna space on multi-tenant communications sites to wireless service providers, radio and television broadcast companies, wireless data and data providers, government agencies and municipalities and tenants in a number of other industries. It also offers tower-related services domestically, including site acquisition, zoning and permitting services and structural analysis services, which mainly support its site leasing business and the addition of new tenants and equipment on its sites. The Company's communications real estate portfolio of 67,418 communications sites, as of December 31, 2013, includes wireless and broadcast communications towers and distributed antenna system ("DAS") networks, which provide seamless coverage solutions in certain in-building and outdoor wireless environments. Its portfolio primarily consists of towers that it owns and towers that it operates pursuant to long-term lease arrangements, including, as of December 31, 2013, approximately 27,739 towers domestically and 39,330 towers internationally. Its portfolio also includes 349 DAS networks. In addition to the communications sites in portfolio, it manages rooftop and tower sites for property owners under various contractual arrangements and hold property interests that leases to communications service providers and third-party tower operators. The Company operates in three segments; domestic rental and management, international rental and management and network development services. Its domestic rental and management segment is comprised of its nationwide network of communications sites that enables it to address the needs of national, regional, local and emerging communications service providers in the United States, as well as customers in a number of other industries. Its domestic rental and management segment also includes property interests that it leases to communications service providers and third-party tower operators. Its international rental and management segment, which is comprised of communications sites in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Ghana, India, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Uganda, provides a source of diversification and growth. Its rental and management operations include the operation of wireless and broadcast communications towers and managed networks, rooftop management, the leasing of property interests and the installation of shared generators domestically. It owns and operates communications towers in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Ghana, India, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Uganda. It leases real estate on its communications towers to tenants providing a diverse range of communications services, including personal communications services, cellular, broadcasting, enhanced

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